No Snooze for Me

So all summer long I've heard nothing but how horrible this group of kids is coming up to 8th grade this year. All I gotta say it, this ain't nothin'! Last year, I struggled to get out of bed in the morning, hit snooze multiples times before dragging my feet to the shower. This year, total opposite. On top of all that, I'm super excited about my masters' classes and all the fantastic ideas they are giving me to try with these kids!

Already this year, we have started reading The Outsiders (if you haven't read it, shame on you and go pick up a copy). The kids are loving the 1960s setting and this Friday will start working on our "graffiti wall" where the kids will include quotes/pictures/etc. in a graffiti type format all relating to the book. Little do they know the connections they are making and the higher level thinking involved.

So many wonderful things are happening in our lives right now (thank you, Jesus!) Last weekend I completed my second half marathon with my wonderful friend, Alicia Walsh. I shaved 13 minutes off my first time with a finish of 2:17 - so happy with that! Justin and I are currently getting hard wood floors throughout the house and they are already looking gorgeous! And....dun dun dunnnnnhhhh.....football/tailgating season is here!!!

ECU is off to a fantastic start of their season winning their first game last Sun. (yes, I am crazy and yes, immediately after my half marathon I showered and jumped in the car to drive from VA Beach to Greenville, NC to watch the game) 51-49 with a touchdown with 24 seconds left on the clock. One of the most exciting parts of every football season is the tailgating and this year, Justin Squared (as I lovingly call my Justin and his best friend, Justin Shaw) have acquired a brand new grill just to get the job done. We are already conjuring up all sorts of goodies to create while pregaming.

We have had various "trial runs" (a.k.a. excuses to hang out) at respective houses and have quite a solid menu thus far. I must say the more we experiment, the better the food tastes! I took a wing sauce that I concocted and coated shrimp skewers with it - awesome! All it took was some butter, Texas Pete, and some minced garlic. Slather it on the shrimp and grill on each side for about 3 minutes each. Mmmmmmmm! We've also mastered tuna kabobs with homemade mango salsa, steak, mexican sausage, and camp potatoes - a North Country staple.

Ahhhhh.....life is good.